What If
by Last Butterfly
Summary: Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge. The drabbles will be connected from season 3 to postwar AU. You only have a minute before class? Cool, drabbles, way to go! XD
1. Honour

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**_A/N: Ok, I'll only say Hiii~ :D And... and that I'll make cutekittyichigo's Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge (from deviantArt), because I really miss all the Zutaraness nowadays. Oh, I hope it will be evident that the drabbles are 'connected'. It starts with season 3 and after that goes postwar AU. (Warning: I'll keep the final season's storyline, therefore other pairings will appear too.)_**

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**1. Honour**

He believed he had lost his honour when he refused to fight against his father. He believed that being banished was the worst possible thing that could have happened with him.

Then, after more than three years and a journey around the known world, he had finally returned home. And his father restored his title, accepting him back again. But deep down, he felt that something was wrong. That there was something that he had missed out.

And when one night, he awoke from a nightmare with accusing but treacherously honest blue eyes, he finally understood.

He did not loose his honour on the day he had gotten his scar. He lost it deep beneath Ba Sing Sei: when he turned against the waterbender.

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**_A/N: Well, there's not much to say yet. Go on~  
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	2. Yin and Yang

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**2. Yin and Yang**

He knew that he was bad at being good. But it also turned out that she was bad at being bad.

Oh, she tried to be cold and cruel and distant. But every once in a while she would hold up a bowl of food with a smile… until she realized who she was looking at.

At first he even returned those smiles but her features then only turned darker and the icy stare, which she usually looked at him with, was there in an instant. And what was the worst about all that? The fact that these dark emotions of hers were only in store for him.

That was why he never fought back. He was always there to help, he would always keep his opinion to himself and he would always be the first one to jump and save her if she was in danger.

Because that was the person he wanted to be around her. If Katara decided that she would become his yin then Zuko was going to be her yang.

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_**A/N: Beware. XD I have seen certain episodes waaay too many times. W00t for heroic!Zuko and falling rocks. XD**_

_**Any thoughts yet?  
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	3. Complicated

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**3. Complicated**

Zuko thought that by joining the avatar's group, things would become easier.

He had thought wrong. Things only became more complicated. One would have guessed that these young benders – and non-benders – concentrated mainly on winning the war.

But as it turned out, the avatar concentrated more on his waterbending master, and so did the moustached earthbender.

After saving his girlfriend Sokka only cared about Suki, while even the blind bandit – who the Fire Prince believed had been the only 'sane' person if it came to love affairs – was trying not to show her distress about the Water Tribe warrior who she had a crush on. Oh, and besides that, The Duke seemingly liked Toph too.

So, his new life among the others was more difficult than he had expected. Especially when he understood that a beautiful waterbender, who was loved by so many, would never choose a scarred and two times banished firebender over the avatar himself.

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**_A/N: Why don't I write drabbles more often? One idea and they are technically done! XD Man, I love drabbles! Haha~_**

**_So, when I started these I also had a little background motivation. I've always wanted a postwar - as in "What could have happened if..." kind of thing. :) Now that the whole series is over, XD and ppl are not at each others' throats, maybe it'll be fun to do so. With drabbles._**

**_Be so kind to R&R~_**

**_Thank You! ^^  
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	4. Scarred

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**4. Scarred**

Most of his life had been shaped by the mark on his face. But Zuko had to realize that his father caused other, different and invisible scars too. And as those did not belong to him, he would have never even imagined how much suffering they caused if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

For the first time when kindness was shown to him by a herbalist girl – whose ostrich-horse he had 'borrowed' for quite some time, – he could see how the Fire Lord's soldiers hurt people physically.

But when he stood at the edge of a forest, while the Southern Tribe's last waterbender overcame the full power of a rainstorm, he could truly see what his nation had unleashed.

Grief, sadness and sorrow: that was what pained her, just as it did with him.

Had Katara decided to smite the man, he wouldn't have stopped her. But a part of him knew that in the end she would show mercy. And when she did and later cried against his chest, it showed him her deepest wound: the loss of her mother.

That was how both of them had been scarred by Fire Lord Ozai.

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_**A/N: Just a reminder:**_

_**Katara: "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me!"**_

_**Zuko: "I'm sorry... That's something we have in common."**_


	5. Family

**_First of all, I wanted to thank to NorthernLights25 for being my loyal reader and reviewer. ^_^ Thank You! You are worth writing to! :D Hehe~ *HUG*  
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I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**5. Family**

He heard how one could see his own life flash before his eyes before his death. But honestly, while his body was shaking from the shock of his sister's lightning, he did not want that moment last much longer.

He saw his parents' faces at start. Then the image changed with a baby girl on his mother's arm. Then his father disappeared from the picture, leaving him and Azula with their mother. After that it was him and his mother by a pond… then shortly after: only him.

Then the whole scene changed with a flash of light and pain, and he could see _her._ Katara and Sokka and their father, and the way they embraced with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces after the Boiling Rock. Only then did he realize how his family never had this, this _connection_ between them. And what he did have he had lost with his mother and eventually, with the flame-shaped scar upon his eye.

Was this what love was like? What Katara's family had and what brought them together instead of pulling them apart like it happened with his one?

He did not know for sure. All he knew was that never before had he wanted to belong somewhere _so much_.

He faintly wondered whether his uncle would have understood that. He guessed he would have.

Then with another flash he saw his sister as she attacked _her,_ and he jumped in the air without hesitation. Azula's maniacal laughter was ringing in his ears as electricity ran through him, sending him to the ground and causing each of his muscles to twitch against his own will…

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**_A/N: Poor Zuko... :( I always hurt him! T_T_**

**_One of the ideas I had about Zutara - that barely got any attention from the creators - was how Different their families/fathers were. I know that Zuko had Iroh but... in the 3rd season He was the one who betrayed the only family member he had left, who had actually felt something for him. And I really think that Hakoda could have had a talk with him or something._**

_(On the other hand, why do I bother? Zuko and Toph never got the chance to have a bonding episode either.) :P_

_**I still believe that Zuko would have wanted to be a part of a family like Katara's. *wink-wink-nudge-nudge***_

_**Any thoughts? XD  
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	6. Drunk

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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_**A/N: Wow, :D thanks for the reviews folks!**_

_To Embers in the flames: you are not the only one who likes Yin & Yang the most. ;) Once we get to post war there will be happier themes, as Barney Stinson would say: Waaait-for-iiiit~ XD  
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_To Densharr: Wow! I have never thought about what could have happened with the airbender children in the temples before! Thank you! :D_

_To Emma Fried: we agree that Toph and Zuko had Some bonding moments, but daaamn. XD They still could have had a full episode!_

_And a hug to NorthernLights25~ ^_^_

_**And to everyone: Please don't kill me for the following 2 drabbles! D:**  
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**6. Drunk**

He did not know whether it was the pain, the blood loss or some special after effect of Katara's healing powers but his body became numb and his mind became clouded.

He could see how her tears fell for him and how she brought only more dirt on her face as she tried to wipe them away. But from all he would have wanted to tell her: how much she meant to him, how much he respected and l-… liked her; he could only muster a faint 'thank you'. He felt weak.

No, it was worse. He felt _pathetic._

And hours later, when a familiar voice called out for him: _"Would you need a hand with that?"_

It brought a smile to his face. "Mai?"

She was alive. He had been so worried about her, after all she did sacrifice everything to save her former lover.

Then she said something about breaking up, and when she leaned up to him, kissing him as if she had desired nothing and no one else but him, he did not resist her.

Through a haze of cloudy thoughts he could not truly catch, he had found himself in a drunken bliss in Mai's arms. And because of that, he could not see the tears escaping two blue pools right behind the red carpets that were hanging down the wall of his room…

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_**A/N: I'm sorry! ^^;  
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	7. Betrayal

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**_A/N: Sorry for what is coming._**

_To cuzimaw3som317: Thank you for your nice words, :( and believe me, I don't like Maiko and Kataang any more than you do. XD (But it's been two years, and I need to write this out of me or else I'll never be able to think back about the series without... :SSS twitching! XD)  
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**7. Betrayal**

Weeks passed and even though Katara knew she should have been happy because of the war's end - overjoyed even, - she only felt tired and alone.

Zuko lied to her again. He promised that he wouldn't hurt her. He _promised_ that he would never betray her again.

And yet, he did.

She could not explain why, after all he had never said anything that should have given her hope, but each night – in the Sun's absence – she cried until she fell asleep.

Only Aang was able to make her laugh during the never-ending winter of the South Pole. His dreamy grey eyes reminded her of the clouds and – though she knew she was being selfish – but they brought memories of better times. Adventures which she, her brother and Aang had, when they were simple children on the run while the Fire Prince only chased after the avatar. When her world still made sense.

And when the weather turned fairer, bringing together their whole group at the Jasmine Dragon, she had come to a decision.

Zuko was merely a dream that her fantasies created. But Aang had been different: he was patient, kind and she knew he would never, ever hurt her.

After almost a year of feeling lost, she finally gave in and with all her heart she embraced the one who brought the balance back to her world.

Had she known that the young Fire Lord left Mai's side to follow her, or had she seen the look on his face as he came to a halt in the doorway, she might have decided differently.

Because when Zuko saw her lips meet the avatar's, a pang shot through his heart that hurt a hundred times more than being struck by lightning.

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**_A/N: Once again, ^^;__ I'm sorry for the Maiko and Kataang scenes, but yes, keeping these parts in this drabble series is essential for me. To get over them, to forget them, to let go and to make things right. Haven't we all felt that after the series end? (And don't tell me to grow up. XD Mike and Bryan seemingly haven't grown up themselves.)_**

**_About the prompt 'Betrayal': :( it kind of speaks for itself. It's not only how Katara thought Zuko betrayed her, and versa. It's about how Zutarians felt betrayed because of the season finale. I think I've already crossed the 'bashing of the series' line, but whatever.  
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**_I don't want to upload this on its own, the next one will be up in a sec._**


	8. Love

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**8. Love**

Zuko had always been a light sleeper and that did not change with time either. That was why he often lied awake in the royal double bed. Mai was lying on the other end of the sheets, her back turned towards him.

For a while she was sleeping in his embrace, but after some time she started to complain about how hot she felt because of him. And later, when she found him watching her, she turned away as she could not sleep because of feeling his eyes on her.

As this happened night after night and he slowly grew tired of it, one day he had just… given up trying.

While gazing into darkness in his sleepless hours, he found himself desiring something different. Something more. Finding comfort in being embraced by the woman he loved seemed to be so close and at the same time as far as it could ever be.

He couldn't help when his thoughts wandered to someone else again. A compassionate bender and companion, who had always been there for everyone if she was needed.

He remembered how it had been her who reached out to pull him into their "group-hugs" too. And at other times, she had simply been there, offering a comforting smile, a reassuring hand squeeze or just a witty comment which would later make him laugh later when nobody saw it…

But at this point he always froze, erasing the forming smile from his lips.

Above all, he wanted to see Katara happy. And she was… with Aang by her side.

By then Zuko had realized that for him: love meant to let go. Even if it hurt him inside.

But eventually, when the rain started to pour, and while listening to its steady rhythm on the roof, he always fell asleep while dreaming about vast oceans, the bluest of skies and a mermaid with chocolate skin and sapphire eyes.

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**_A/N: tüm-tütümm... :) Things will slowly fall into place ppl. Don't you worry! ;)_**

**_Next prompt will be: 'Elements'_**

**_Any thoughts?  
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	9. Elements

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**9****. Elements**

Almost a year had passed since the last time their group reunited. Since she and Aang became a couple, and she was happy. Well, most of the time.

It really depended on little things, such as when arriving into a city the avatar was expected at every social occasion, with her by his side of course. This she did not have troubles with, until that very moment she spoke her mind on a certain matter. Only _then_ did the nobles show their true colours.

They all thought the same: who was she to talk into the men's business? She was just a girl the avatar decided to lay with.

She was no longer welcomed at the post-war meetings either, which on many occasions last long into the night, and it infuriated her almost as much as Pakku had back on the North. In the nobles' eyes, she did not belong to the _world of men_ after the end of the war's end.

At times like this she had found herself with her arms wrapped around her knees while staring into the fire. She would always pull a warm blanket around herself after her anger faded away, but in the end… she still felt cold. She still felt alone.

And while watching the undying flames, which slowly formed her personality more than her own element, she recalled a dream she once had of a prince with eyes like gold.

In the meantime, somewhere on the other edge of the continent, a smile spread across the face of a scarred bender as he stepped out onto a green and gold balcony. And with arms opened wide, he welcomed the midnight rain like an old friend who had finally arrived to liberate him.

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**_A/N: __There's not much to say. Stay with me, and review if you want more! ;)_**


	10. Duty and Loyalty

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

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**10. Duty and Loyalty**

Duty and loyalty was what kept Zuko with Mai, and Katara with Aang. They both convinced themselves that they made the right thing – the only thing they could – a year ago, and they both believed that their feelings were strong enough to go through fire and water with their chosen one.

Only when their destinies crossed once again in Ba Sing Sei did they realize how wrong they were.

On the anniversary of the end of the war, when they finally stood face to face again, they had to understand that something had forever changed between them.

As he was the only one who could see how her smile would fade, and only she could catch how he averted his gaze quickly each time she looked up to meet his eyes, it had all fallen into place.

Their hearts' rhythm changed almost as if they had chased the other's secretly. When they broke the awkward silence by choosing the same words, it was instantly followed by their laughing in unison, turning the moment even more awkward if that was possible.

And when they eventually embraced, thinking they could escape or at least ease the situation they created, they also had to realize that going so close to the other had been the worst possible idea. Because feeling the other's arms around them, breathing in the other's scent and worst of all, feeling the other's warm breath tickling their skin so close to an especially sensitive spot on their necks had ruined _everything._ Everything they had built up in the last one and a half year.

It was his duty and her loyalty that kept them apart. They both knew though that those were the greatest boundaries they could have had to face.

But love as they used to say, always found a way…

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**_A/N: Next theme is: 'Elope'. ;)_**

**_I told you things would turn in the right direction! D: Are you still here, or did the 6th and 7th totally scared you away? (Zutarians should not be scared so easily!) X3 _**

**_R&R please!  
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	11. Elope

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

**11. Elope**

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It was their second day in Ba Sing Sei and the second party they attended to. That was when Aang told her that they had to leave the next morning. Two generals informed them about an uproar between the earth- and firebenders on the South, before asking the avatar to join them to consult the problem. They also asked them whether they knew where the Fire Lord was, because apparently he had disappeared before they could have reached him.

Katara said nothing when Aang tried to kiss her, whispering he was sorry. But the way she looked at him showed already that inside, her blood boiled like lava.

_Leaving__? Tomorrow?_ _Toph hadn't even arrived yet, and Zuko…_ Well, he briefly explained how Mai spent that night with her parents then his uncle pulled him aside to finally catch up with him. She did not blame either of them for that. Iroh hadn't seen his nephew more than any of them lately. Except Mai of course…

But still, she wished she could finally speak with someone other than Aang or Appa or Momo for the Spirits' sake! It seemed that her life had nothing exciting left in it. Maybe that was it? Her adventures ended with the War, which she hated so much?

These troubling thoughts were on her mind as she was standing alone on the great balcony of the ball room. She did not even notice when tears left the corners of her eyes, she merely stared up at the moon while her hands turned into fists upon the railings. She had felt such… anger lately, and she didn't even know why. Maybe Zuko would understand her. Or maybe not… added the fact how much he had changed from that angry teen with a pony-tail who he once was.

How could Mai close her feelings away from the world so well, even if she had been just as mad as Katara felt right now? If she hadn't been able to at least cry, she would have started yelling to the Spirits themselves, causing those who passed by to take her for a fool for sure.

She wanted to yell to Yue, who had agreed into an engagement with someone who she never loved, out of duty. To La, whose rage made a whole fleet of Fire Nation ships perish after the death of her beloved Tui. And to those that sent a prophecy to a fortuneteller once, who had promised her a great romance. The kind of which every woman dreamed about…

She let out a sob, putting a hand to her mouth while her other one gripped the railing tight, because right now, she felt like standing on Appa while the giant bison flew across the sky without anything for her to hang onto.

If she was supposed to be the happiest of all, then how was it possible for her to _feel like this_? How could she have ended up so out-of-balance with the very man who had been the bridge between the worlds of both the living and the dead?

Just how could _this_ be her great romance?

In that very moment, something happened that finally broke the trail of her thoughts. A familiar voice called out to her, asking if she was alright. Without wiping her eyes she looked back with a name already on the edge of her tongue but when - instead of the expected face – she faced a blue and a white mask, she hesitated.

_No, it… it can__not be him._ She convinced herself before returning her gaze to the sky.

"I am fine." She finally spoke without turning back again. "I just… don't like these parties so much, that is all."

"I'm sorry." There was a moment of silence in which she dried her eyes, but as the masked man's added something else, she stared ahead of herself. "I guess that's something we have in common."

_Zuko…_ The realization hit her so strongly in the chest that for a second she almost jumped in his neck. But instead she merely let a smile come to her face. She had a better idea.

How he appeared there was a miracle, after all half of the Main Hall was looking for him for an hour at least. She thought he had skipped away with his uncle to avoid everyone. But there he was now: disguising himself as the masked thief called the 'Blue Spirit'.

And he changed his voice, she realized. Did he not want her to know who he was? If so, she decided she could play along.

With a small smile on her lips she turned towards the masked prince and asked a question as if she had never met him before. "I know that it must sound strange, knowing we've just met, but… don't you know a good place that is _far away _from this one?"

The man behind the mask watched her with interest while bowing his head to the side. Somewhere deep down, he knew he was going to cross an important line here… one that maybe he shouldn't have. But he also knew that he would be damned for eternity if he said 'no' to Katara.

Besides, while getting lost in the depth of her blue eyes, his blood started rushing way too loud in his ears for him to listen to any kind of reasoning.

As he held his arm to her, she let her hand slip within his to intertwine her fingers with his gloved ones. Then with a carefree smile she locked her eyes with the mask's black ones because for her, in their current situation, the former Prince Zuko was forbidden to even look at as more than a friend.

But eloping with the Blue Spirit… had been an _entirely_ different case.

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**_A/N: Dumdudumm... _**

**_I'm sorry for taking so long, but there was Christmas and then I got sick and everything. (Besides, my job requires too much time...)_**

**_Also, I've just ruined the consistency of only writing drabbles. XD Well, whatever, :) more important scenes Can be longer, right?_**

**_R&R please, I'll try to update faster this time.  
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	12. Secret

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

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**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

**12. Secret**

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Years ago he let go of his Blue Spirit mask right in this very city. He understood that it was he who had to decide between what was right and what was wrong and he did not want any mask to hide behind for it.

But that night – for the first time in _ages_, - his identity had to remain a secret because he wanted to fool the only person who by then knew his thoughts and feelings almost as well as she had known her own. Well, all except one. The only feeling that no matter how much he tried he could not close out of his mind. The one he had always recalled when he was in distress, the one that mixed in with his dreams, and the one that had more to do with her than she could have ever imagined.

But it was a hasty decision. He did not thing things through again, and now there he was. He could not even think clearly as her small small fingers played with his while they walked across the city. His palms felt sweaty in his gloves and he only _hoped _that she wouldn't notice that. By Agni, he was glad he could at least be the silent guide because his throat felt so dry that he was sure his voice would have reduced to nothing but a low rasp by then.

And when they finally came to a courtyard he came to a sudden halt, blinking in surprise. It was the same place. His unconscious led them to the same fountain where his previous 'dates' took place in Ba Sing Sei. The lanterns were all lit and from the distance he could even hear the sound of music that – unlike his heart – had a slow and even pace.

He swallowed. Did he bring her here because somehow water, lit lanterns and music turned out favorably for him in the past? That... that just sounded all wrong. It was not like... like he had planned it this way, it just all happened so fast, and-

His thoughts somehow lost track when Katara spoke. She called out for him as she was already by the fountain with her palms above the water, and with that bright smile of hers she laughed as he shook his head to get out of his daze and appeared by her side.

Then she moved her hands and what he saw made his breath hitch. With tender movements, the body of the water's surface shook at first then small globes rose above it, forming small figures of men and women. They all bowed at the same time then the surface, creating small circles with each of their steps as the music went on.

For a long moment he was watching the small dancers then with awe he turned to look at her instead. The way her gaze moved from one of the pairs to the other, the concentration that made her brow furrow and her eyes, which were like the clearest of skies that not even his dreams could truly recall, made him forget everything.

She gasped as her wrists were suddenly caught by him, the bended dancers splashed back into the fountain and she could feel how drops of water fell on her when her lips parted and she was slightly panting from concentrating on her bending for such a complicated move. She couldn't help it but a part of her wanted to enthrall him, to show him how much better she became from when they first met. She wanted him to know how strong she turned out to be from that silly little girl who once ran straight into his arms to avoid some pirates.

And now, thinking back, her cheeks pinked at the irony of the situation. She might have become strong but he was still stronger. She might have been a War Hero but he also became Fire Lord. She might have believed for a long year that the eyes of a prince would never stop on her, but now, as he readjusted his hold and pulled her close just like the dancing figures on the water did, she couldn't help as the edge of her lips curled upwards. Because his gaze did not merely stop on her but did not even leave her ones for a mere second while they waltzed around the fountain to the rhythm of the music.

It was magical. A wonderful place with a masked prince, music that seemingly came out of nowhere, and a dance... a dance unlike any other she had so far. Its steps had been swift and elegant, making her head spin with its pace. Just like the one who led her.

And when the music died, and they stood so close that they couldn't have allowed to themselves if anyone else had been watching, she could not close out the sudden urge that overcame her. There was only one thing that could have made this night even more unforgettable. Just one simple thing...

That thought finally dared her to move.

Her hands slipped from him but before he could have stepped away, she raised her hands to get a hold of the side of his mask-

His hand was upon hers in less than a moment. "Don't." He said on a throaty voice to try and stop her, but as he could feel that she was hesitant herself, he slowly let his eyes close, leaning the scarred side of his face against her hand as she spoke.

"I just..." She couldn't help biting her lower lip before whispering to him. Only the mask and those two years since their imprisonment beneath this city stood between them, as if the guardian of time would have fooled them for his own amusement. She felt how her hands started to tremble and heard how wildly her heart raced, but all that mattered was him now. Them. And this night that would only belong to the two of them.

"I just wanted to thank you," She whispered and carefully lifted the mask above his chin, then slowly his mouth. Then she slowly leaned forward, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck.

"_For everything."_

Finally her lips met his ones. Soft against rough, hesitant against sure, wanting... needing. And again, he made her spin around and her knees weaken even though none of them took a step.

But everything that had left the ground, eventually had to return to it again.

That was when she felt a part of her tense and even her eyelids went dry because only now did she know what she truly could have had. Reality and dreams had been so different, because the prince of her dreams had been so-_so behind_ his real self. _And tonight... tonight is the only-_

When he felt that something was wrong, he started to pull away to look at her for a reason but realized he couldn't see a thing through his badly positioned mask. However, the waterbender who a second ago melted in his arms didn't let him go but suddenly pulled him into a hug with a sob escaping her. "I'm sorry," She sniffed beside his good ear but what followed next was what made his good eye turn round and his back straighten. "I'm so s-sorry, Zuko!"

They both gasped at that – he did because up to that moment he thought she did not know who he was and she did because she wanted him to believe that too. And now she had ruined everything! She and her stupid mouth!

Before he could have caught her arm she slipped away from him, giving him a slight push to avoid his reaching hands by only an inch. "Wait-" He tried to speak but when he opened his mouth his mask snapped back down to his face, hitting his good eye and blinding him in the worst possible moment. He could hear water freezing as he swore behind his mask then pulled it off of his face, yelling after her. "Katara! Wait!"

But he was standing in a frozen globe that hid her from his sight. With an angry wave of fire he easily melted the thin ice, but no matter where he turned he couldn't see her through the mist of steam.

By the time the area cleared she was nowhere to be seen. She was gone.

In the end, the ex-prince Zuko stared into the black holes of the Blue Spirit mask once again, while feverishly trying to figure it out: did she kiss him because she recognized that it was him? Or did she recognize him because he had kissed her?

* * *

**_A/N: Ah, I'm so sorry for being so late again, :3 I've gotten a Job! :D Aaand passed the trial period too, so I'm gonna stay In it for quite a while I hope... :3_**

**_Now, about the story: ^.^ Yaay! Blutara kiss~ 3 I just missed this so muuuch! :DDD And now... now, XD I'm in a deep trouble again. Damn, XD because there are still 13 prompts left... XD_**

Next one will be: 'Emotions'.

**_Favourites are welcome, but reviews are cheerished! :)_**

**_Till the next time,  
_**

**_Butterfly~  
_**


	13. Emotions

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

* * *

**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

**13****. Emotions**

* * *

By the time the sun came up, Katara was already sitting on the flying bison while only thinking back about the one who she had left behind. Sleep avoided her due to the Moon but finally, as she saw the first rays of the Sun rising above the horizon, she let her head rest on the edge of the saddle, not feeling as a single tear escaped from her slowly closing eyelids.

For one night, she had it all. The adventure, the passion, the fire. She had all she had dreamed about for one wonderful night.

But that night was over. And it was time to wake up.

When Aang came for her in the morning, she left Ba Sing Sei along with him, just as she was supposed to do.

* * *

General Iroh had seen many of the young Fire Lord's emotions over the years. His last one and a half year, however, had been surprising even to him.

When Zuko finally found him with the young waterbender by his side, he felt joy. Not only because that meant his nephew finally came to his senses and understood his destiny in the long run but because he had seen how the girl treated his nephew. She comforted him in front of his old uncle's tent, not knowing that he was able to hear every single word inside.

What surprised him afterwards was the person who he chose in the end. Mai? The confidential friend of his sister, Azula, who desired his demise from the day Ozai praised her for the very first time?

But he put his worries aside and decided that the boy probably knew what he was doing. At least he had hoped he did. But how come that once the whole group of young heroes appeared on his doorstep again, and the avatar claimed his love for Katara of the Southern Tribe, his nephew fell back to his old self? Door slamming, grumpy answers, bad mood. That was all he got even when Mai was around.

And last night, after Iroh sneaked his only nephew out of the ballroom, they had a cup of tea as peacefully as the hotheaded boy had never made it possible before. That was when Zuko had finally opened up to him. Yes, he was with Mai. Yes, the waterbender was the Avatar's girlfriend. He thought that was how things should have been, that she was most probably happy and that he had no right to get involved. Not anymore.

But he was wrong, he saw sadness in her eyes even though she tried her best to smile and cheer for Aang's and their sakes. But deep down… he just had to know how she truly felt, and there was not going to be another possibility like that for who knew how long.

It was him who gave the Blue Spirit mask back to him. It was him who asked a favour from an old friend to arrange some music just in case somebody visited the great fountain of the Lower Tier.

And it was also him who just for a long second believed that he had travelled back in time when sometime after midnight, the ex-prince Zuko came home. Because when he asked a truly innocent question, he got the very same answer as he did years ago. "How was your night, nephew?"

Only the sound of the door slamming had become louder.

* * *

The fire, his fire did not let him rest during the night. The ceiling above him, the same one that he had stared at for long hours into the night in his uncle's house once, had changed nothing. Even though he believed he had left his emotions – both good and bad – behind, he had to realize yet again that in reality _he_had changed nothing.

He was still the same, angry firebender with the same endless turmoil.

He was angry at both the world and at himself because of all these... _feelings_ that overcame him. He felt joy because for just once in the last two years he dared to do what he truly wished for. He felt anxiousness because he knew that the next day he would have to face the Avatar and _her_again, and act as if nothing would have happened. He felt worry because he knew not what caused her to flee. He also felt desperate because he could not stop her before she had left. But above all he could not be at ease because out of all these feelings, guilt was the last thing on his mind.

Katara always had a special place within his heart. Each time his fingers brushed the sun-shaped scar upon his chest, he had been thinking of her. And remembering that day long ago, there was one significant thing that eventually needed to be considered: never once did he hesitate if it came to aiding her, not matter what needed to be done.

With these thoughts on his mind, he had jumped in his place as a pale hand brushed his side, turning him around to meet a pair of golden eyes. When Mai pulled him in for a kiss, that was when guilt should have kicked in, but as her following words told her how she was sorry to hear about the Avatar's departure, he tensed with an emotion in his gaze that she had seen there only once. When he left her in a cell at the Boiling Rock.

Desperation, shame, guilt and pain... She had known him for so long, of course she knew what it meant. For years she had done nothing but listen to what was hidden from the untrained eyes. But she hoped he would get over it with time. Maybe, she was wrong.

_'Damn it Zuko,'_ When he turned away from her, her fingers formed fists and for just a second anger flashed in her eyes. _'Why is she still affecting you this much?'_

* * *

**_A/N: Now there, :3 you've all believed that things are nice and settled. Oh, no. It's not so easy!  
_**

**_:( Katara is gone, and Mai knows quite enough about what's going on._**

**_But Hey! :D I could finally write from Iroh's POV again. XD Agh, I just missed the old teabag! :D _**

**_Thank you all for your nice reviews, :3 please, do tell me what you think what's gonna happen now too~_**

**_The next prompt will be: 'Adolesence'  
_**


	14. Adolescence

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

* * *

**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

**14. Adolescence**

* * *

It was not that they had planned it this way. They were not even sure whether it would have been a good idea to meet again. But being in love in their age – or in any age for that matter, - was not easy.

Knowing well that the other could not be with you, however, had never ceased the desire towards that significant other.

It only showed when they had time alone to think and see the world in a new perspective. How the flickering of a campfire would catch her eyes, or how a pool of cool water would reflect the Sun above him… Seemingly nothing had changed for the world, but to them one thing had become clear: after what happened between them, forgetting had been simply impossible.

For years they made one foolish decision after the other if they had been near each other. She had put her trust in one of their most dangerous enemies even though she knew well what the cost might have been. And him… he was just as stupid, wasn't he? She made him give away his greatest secret in the crystal caves and then… He had always wondered, would he have refused his sister's offer if she hadn't embraced the avatar right after offering to heal his scar?

Was he already jealous by then? Thinking back about it now, that seemed very likely.

But above all those little decisions and hidden feelings that connected them, there were the smallest of things, the ones they had never even realized themselves, what made them forever belong to the other. To their misfortune though, these signs could only be noticed by those who knew them well and who had been by their sides for years.

To Aang, it had always been like a dream that she chose him in the end. He loved her for long-long months, ever since he had first opened his eyes after his frozen slumber. But still he could not be sure about her feelings up until the day she kissed him on the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon.

He never once had doubted her feelings, and by Tui and La, he was sure never to ask her what made up her mind. But on a windy night when she fell asleep near the flickering fire, pulling her blankets around herself to stop her own shivering, his ever-so-sure smile disappeared from his face when he heard her whisper. Her voice had been so low that if he had wanted to he could have convinced himself that it was merely the wind… but when he looked at her expressions, and the small tears that left her eyes, he had known he heard her right.

"_Zuko, why don't you love me…?"_

* * *

He knew he had been slipping. Every once in a while Mai would look at him with those narrow eyes that should have warned him, but he tried his best to push these aside. He knew his girlfriend well, she would never remain mad at him for too long.

Especially not, if he turned more attention towards her in certain ways that a real gentleman would never confess to the public.

Everything seemed to be fine, every moment had gone even better than he had planned, everything around had been perfect, except…

Except for one single moment, one weak spot. One second when his eyes were closed, and there was a hand upon his first and oldest scar, with a thumb upon his lower lip, and the name that was rolling off his tongue was Not the one that he was supposed to say.

"_Katara..."_

And that was the moment when Mai's nails scratched upon his pale skin with all the fury she had been trying to hide.

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry for the long delay, but here we rock on... :3 Mwu-ha-ha!_**

_**Next chapter's title: War & Peace.**_

_**Favourites are welcomed, but reviews are beloved!**_


	15. War and Peace

I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

* * *

**Zutara 25 Drabbles Challenge**

_By Last Butterfly alias MrJensen~_

**15. War and Peace**

* * *

There was no point in denying it anymore. He could not undo what he had done. He had seen it in Mai's golden eyes. Like a dragon that had been kept in chains for centuries, her anger had finally found release. And even though she was not a bender like him – thank Agni, - the long scratches upon his chest and neck burned just as much as deep her words cut.

She did not yell, she did not beg, she only spoke but with such fervor he had never even heard her before.

She said she had known about his 'foolish obsession with that waterbending little witch' since day one. And even if she hadn't been sure before, that time when the avatar had returned hand in hand with her right in this very place, his actions would have told her anyway.

The way his temper rose, the way he technically pushed her aside to have his 'own space' to mourn the fact that he never had a chance afterwards.

"Just how stupid do you think I was?" She almost sneered, and from the moment she had gotten dressed, he was sure that her sharp weapons had also gotten back to her possession. "It's been years. Years! I hoped you would eventually forget that… _wench_, but nooo," Zuko's good eye narrowed at the words she used. The hatred Mai seemed to have built up against Katara over the time they were together had been too much to handle from the start. He believed he had never given her any reason to be jealous of her up till that moment, but then why? Why would she hate her this much?

"I have known she'll mess with your head if she has the chance…"

"You don't know what you're talking about. She had never-" He finally spoke, raising to his feet without expecting her to use one of her throwing daggers that grazed his shoulder just enough to make it ache.

"How dare you!" She hissed, but this time he didn't answer, only met her glare with his amber eyes. The same eyes that had once met hers and spoke of love. The ones that were now only reflecting her anger, and the reason behind it. "I believed that even if you wanted to break up then sure, just do it. But for _her?_ The avatar's whore?" Mai's laugh made Zuko's frown deepen further. That voice... that single laugh had sounded so much like any of his sister's that it sent a shiver down his spine. Mai had been a true Fire Nation noble. Her true self, her true identity perhaps, had always remained hidden, even from him.

"Way to go, _Fire Lord Zuko,_"She spoke, with her eyes boring into his. "You are going to be the very reason for the next hundred-years-long war if you go on like this! Millions of men have killed each other over women more times than they did for land or money together. And your oh so loyal people have been hoping for nothing more than another reason to fight and conquer ever since you've ordered them to retreat with their tails between their legs-"

"That was enough!" The scarred bender yelled, his fists being engulfed by flames as he stared at the woman who he had almost gotten engaged with as if he had seen her for the first time in his life. The first and the last time. "I have indeed been a fool. A fool to not see what you had in your mind all this time!" He wished he could have let go of some of his anger through his bending, but instead he let his flames die. He knew he would never forgive himself if he hurt Mai, no matter what she just said. It was him who made her say these things. His actions... his foolishness... his feelings towards another. But that didn't mean he would let her go on and on, poisoning his soul and talking about Katara like this.

It was over. They were through and this time there was no turning back.

* * *

_**A/N: I'll leave it shorter this time. :( I really don't like break-ups, but this... just had to be done, I guess.**_


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